LIBRARY

LIBRARY; Banned, But Not Forgotten

By YILU ZHAO

Published: August 31, 2003

BOTH usual and unusual suspects turn up in the New Rochelle Public Library's exhibit of censored books in American public libraries and schools in the last century, scheduled for September.

There is the Harry Potter series, called satanic by critics who say it promotes witchcraft and wizardry. There is ''In the Night Kitchen,'' a Maurice Sendak children's book considered obscene by critics because the young protagonist is portrayed naked. There is ''I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings,'' labeled traumatic to girls, because of Maya Angelou's description of the pain of a raped child. There are the American Heritage and Merriam-Webster dictionaries, because of their inclusion of the definitions for expletives. There is ''The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn,'' deemed racist because of the frequent use of the word ''nigger'' by its author, Mark Twain.

Other culprits include books on evolution, brochures on AIDS prevention, ''The Catcher in the Rye,'' interpreted by some as encouraging rebellion against authority, and ''Daddy's Roommate,'' a book about a gay couple and their child.

The exhibit, from Sept. 2 to 27, has been organized by Donald Parker, who leads the Long Island Coalition Against Censorship, a nonprofit organization promoting the First Amendment. Mr. Parker, 76, a retired social studies teacher, said he put together the exhibit by combing newspapers, interviewing authors and others, talking to school districts and libraries and delving into archives.

''Even in times of peril, we cannot lose sight of the basis of this country,'' he said. ''That to me is the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights.''

The New Rochelle Public Library hosted an exhibit on censorship four years ago.

''People were amazed that in the current society there were books banned for ridiculous reasons,'' said Billie Tucker, the community relations coordinator. ''When you see the kind of things that are allowed to go through on TV and in magazines, you wonder why people would pick on such minuscule things.''

The exhibit has traveled through libraries in Nassau and Suffolk. It will also go to other libraries in Westchester through the course of the next year.